Circuit-continuing device



June 17, 19246 H. A. DOUGLAS CIRCUIT CONTINUING DEVICE Fil ed Jan. 26 1920 PaEentedJune 17, W24.

HARRY A. DGUGLAS, OF BRONSON, MICHIGAN.

CIRCUIT-CONTINUING- DEVICE.

Application filed January 26, 1920. Serial No. 354,306.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY A. DOUGLAS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bronson, in the county of Branch and State of Michigan, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Circuit-Continuing Devices, of which the following is a full,

' clear, concise, and exact description.

My invention relates to circuit continuing devices. The invention has for one of its objects the provision of an improved assembly between a contact carrying shell and a sleeve containing and in supporting relation to the shell. In carrying out this object of my invention either the shell or the sleeve, and preferably the latter, is formed with circumferentially extending springs that constitute continuing portions thereof, these springs being preferably produced by cutting an arcuate slot in the sleeve circumfer entially thereof and another slot leading from this arcuate slot to one end of the sleeve, the two slots together forming what may be termed a T-slot so that springs may be produced that will also be continuing portions of the sleeve. These springs, if they are upon the sleeve, press inwardly upon the shell. To prevent the separation of the sleeve and shellv by their relative longitudinal movement, the part which does not have the spring is provided with, a recess, this part in the present instance being the shell. In such case the sleeve carries a projection which may be entered into said recess when the springs. are sufiiciently flexed, the s rings thereafter serving to maintain the s eeve and shell in close assembly which is preserved by the projection that is within the recess. When my invention is embraced in a focusing lamp such as an automobile headlight, the recess that receives the projection is elongated longitudinally of the structure and with respect to the projection to permit of the longitudinal movement of the shell and the incandescent lamp that is then carried by the shell.

The invention, in other characteristics, relates particularly to electric headlights as are employed, for example, upon automobiles. In thisembodiment of my invention I employ a concave reflector. a casing for receiving the reflector and disposed at the rear thereof and an adjusting device receivable at the rear of the casing and u on its exterior and extending forwardly 1nto connection with the shell that carries an incandescent lamp bulb. This adjusting device, in accordance with one characteristic of my invention, includes a rod having its forward end formed with a transverse continuation and a longitudinal portiolr extending forwardly from such transverse continuation. The shell is provided with an aperture in its side wall for receiving said rod to assemble it with the shell. In such assembly the rod is first held at an angle of the shell to enable the longitudinal forward portion thereof to be inserted through said aperture whereafter the rod is swung to its longitudinal position with respect to the shell, said transverse continuation being entered into said aperture as the rod is thus swung. When so assembled with the shell the focal position of the lamp may readily be adjusted by moving the rod forwardly or backwardly with the aid of any suitable means operating in conjunction with the rod.

In accordance withanother feature of the invention the rod, irrespective of its manner of assembly with the shell, has its rear end in threaded engagement with the threaded bore of an adjusting sleeve which has a peripheral groove receiving the portion of the casing margining an opening in the casingto define a. fixed plane'of rotation for this threaded sleeve so that, as it is turned, the rod will be moved forwardly or backwardly together with the shell and incagdescent lamp bulb assembled with the ro L I will explain my invention more fully by reference to the accompanying drawing showing the preferred embodiment thereof and in which Fig. 1 is a view partially insection and partially in elevation of a portion of an automobile headlight structure made in accordance with the invention; Fig. 2 is a view of parts shown in Fig. 1 taken at right angles thereto, the casing and reflector portions alone being shown in section; Fig. 3 1s a view in elevation of certain of the parts shown in Fig. 1 looking positions of theseparts being indicated by Y the sleeve.

dotted lines.

Like parts are indicated by similar characters of reference throughout the difier-- ent figures. v I

The concave reflector 1 is received in the concave casing 2 and is coupled therewith in any suitable way, space intervening between the reflector and casing. The reflector includes a forwardly extending tubular continuation or sleeve 3 in fixed relation with the balance of the reflector and supported by the casing since the reflector that holds thesleeve 3 is supported by said casing, This continuation 3 constitutes a holder or mounting that is in the form of a tubular neck. The shell or tubular element d is contained within the bore of the sleeve 3 and when these two elements are embodied in a headlight structure the shell. is made to be adjustable longitudinally of One of the elements 3 or 4, preferably the sleeve, is formed with circumferentially aligned spring tongues 5 which press transversely of and upon and grip the shell. These spring tongues are desirably produced by means of a T-slot whose stem portion 6 extends longitudinally of the sleeve and whose head portion 7 extends circumfcrentially of the sleeve, the slot portion 6 extending clear to one end of the sleeve in order that the springs may be completely formed to have the desired degree of flexibility. The shell d has a recess 8 formed therein, this being the case if the sleeve is formed with the springs 5, it being understood that the invention is not to be limited to the formation of the springs upon the sleeve and the recess in the shell. The element which has the springs, in this instance the sleeve, has a projection 9 apart from the springs whlch enters the recess 8. The shell has bayonet channels 10 for receiving the bayonet projections 11 upon a contact carrier 12. As illustrated, this contact carrier is in the form of a base of aso-called single pole incandescent lamp bulb 13 whose filament has one terminal in connection with a contact 14 upon the inner end of such base and whose other terminal is connected with a metallic sheath upon the base which electrically engages the metal shell 4 that, in turn, is in electrical connection with the sleeve 3 that is in suitable grounded connection with one terminal of the source of current that is employed for supplying the 3 a screw-driver slot.

neeaaeo Tn assembling the sleeve 4 within the shell 3 the sleeve is inserted within the shell and is pressed transversely of the sleeve suficiently to permit the projection 9 to ride over the shell and come into the recess, the springs 5 yielding in this process and thereafter contracting into tight engagement with the shell to maintain the projection within the recess and to frictionally hold the shell in longitudinal adjustment within the sleeve.

The sleeve also has a contact carrier 15 held in assembly with the shell as set forth and claimed in my companion application Serial No. 348,416, filed December 30, 1919. This contact carrier supports a metallic spring barrel 16 in which there is housed a coil spring 17 that presses a contact 18 into engagement with the lamp bulb contact 14:. This spring barrel has an external continuation 19 formed with a lateral opening 20 that may receive a plug 21, the spring 17 pressing a rear contact 22 into engagement with this plug as set forth in my aforesaid co-pending application. Current is" conveyed to the-lamp by means of the plug 21, the contacts 18 and 22, and the s ring barrel 16 electrically connecting t ese contacts. 1

The rod 23 is coupled with the shell 4: for the purpose of moving this shell to adjust the focal position of the lamp bulb. This rod is preferably assembled with the shell by means of the construction illustrated, the shell having an aperture 24: in the rear portion of its cylindrical wall which receives a transverse continuation 25 of the rod 23. To prevent the rod from being withdrawn laterally from the shell it is provided with a longitudinal portion 26 extending forwardly from the transverse continuation 25 of the rod, In assembling the rod and shell the rod is first placed at an angle to the shell to permit of the passage of the longitudinal portion 26 into the aperture 2% whereafter the rod is turned to be longitudinal of the shell and to bring the transverse continuation 25 into said aperture.

In carrying out another feature of the invention the rod is threaded about its rear end and is in threaded engagement with the threaded bore of an adjusting sleeve 27. This sleeve is given a single plane of rotation by being provided with an annular groove 28 into which is extended the portion of the casing 2 that surrounds the opening in the rear of this casing through which the adjusting sleeve 27 is passed. For con venience in turning the sleeve 27 the outer and head end of this sleeve is formed with The annular groove 28 in the adjusting sleeve 2? enables me to dispense with an added part which was hitherto employed for confining such a inc sleeve to a single lane of rotation. In the process of assemb y the rear portion of the casing 2 is initially of the shape illustrated in Fig. 4 where it is shown as being provided with a rearwardly extending truncated conical portion 29 surrounding the opening in this casing with which the adjusting sleeve is to be assembled. The inner edge of the truncatedconical portion 29 is first brought into registry with the annular groove 28 as illustrated in Fig. 5, whereafter said conical portion 29 is flattened to bring it into the general curvature of the casing 2 and to cause it to enter the groove 28, as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

Certain features not herein claimed form the subject matter of my division of this appiication Serial No. 471,950, filed May 23, 1921.

While i have herein shown and particularly described the preferred embodiment of my invention I do not wish to be limited to the precise details of construction shown as changes may readil be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, but having thus described my invention I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent the following 1. A circuit continuing device including 80 two tubular elements one within the other;

a circuit continuing contact carrier carried by the inner tubular element, the outer tubular element having a T-slot the stem of which extends'longitudinally to one end of this tubular element and whose head portion extends circumferentialy whereby two aligned circumferentially extending springs are provided upon the outer tubular element, and which springs grip the inner tubular element, the outer tubular element being also formed with a projection apart from the springs while the inner tubular element is formed with a recess receiving said projection.

2. A circuit continuing device including two tubular elements one within the other; a circuit continuing contact carrier carried by the inner tubular element, the outer tubular element having a circumferentially extending slot and a longitudinal slot communicating with the other slot, whereb there is formed a circumferentiall exten ing spring that grips the inner tuhular element which has a recess receiving a projection formed apart from the spring on the outer tubular element.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 19th day of January, A. D.

HARRY A. DOUGLAS. 

